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Aug. 9,1927. L

SOFT DRINK REFRIGERATOR LOCKER ET AL 2, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Dec.

2 sheets-Sh t 2 Aug. 9, 1927.

L. LOCKER ET AL SOFT DRINK REFRIGERATOR Filed Dec,

' to provide construction 1 2D drawings,

Patented Aug. 9, 1927.

UNITED STATES PA NT OFFICE.

LANIDO LOCKER AND OBBIE M. FRAZIER, or norsmo'rou, muses.

sor'r-nmnx nnrniennaron.

Application filed December 2,1926, seria uo. 152,203.

This invention relates to soft drink re;

frigerators and more particularlyto a device of this character intended for use in cooling and dispensing bottled'soft drinks. 5A1} important object of the invention is a device which the bottled drinks may be fed and I within which they are cooled in passage,

the construction of the conduits being such that bottles of different sizes may be inserted in the same conduit, without danger of thesebottles wedging or sticking therein.- A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a conduit foruse in a refrigerator of this character having a yieldable wall which fits against the body of a'bottle without regard to the size thereof. These and other objects we attain by the shown in the accompanying wherein for the purpose of illustrationis shown a preferred embodiment of our invention and wherein a I v Figure 1 is a side elevation of a refrigerator constructed in accordance with our innt nn;

- {Figure 2 is a therethrough;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectionalview therethrough;

' 9 Figure 4 is a fragmentary top plan view thereof; l v l A Figure 5 is a side elevation partially in section of the plunger for remoying obstruc;

v tions or waste from the-tubes Referring now more particularlyto the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates an outer casing having arranged therein outer and inner U-shaped'troughs 11 and 12, the ends of which are connected to one anotherby end walls 13, with the result that a central compartment 14. is provided which will hereinafter be referred to as the refrigerant compartment and a U-shaped longitudinally extending conduit'is formed between the inner andouter U-shaped troughs 11 and 12.

Between the outer trough-11 and outer casing a filling of heat insulatingmaterial 15 is placed. The top of the refrigerant compartment is closed, preferably by a cover 16 formed in two sections hinged to one another, as at 17, so that access may be had to the interior ofthis compartment without completely uncoverin the sames The U-shaped con uit between the inner and outer U-shaped troughs is subdivided by a plurality of U- haped partitions 18 into a .a spring hinged ZQOVQT having conduits through U-sha-ped trough the false wall.21 in constant engagement transverse sectional view ends of the sight glass 24 andloutlet, pipe 25 are connected to. one

another, as at 30, and

" and '33 arranged plurality of bottle conduits 19, each of which is provided at each end thereof with p 20. Each bottle conduit 19 is; proyided" with a false wall 21 consisting of a strip of flexible material secured at one end to the outer U-shaped trough,at the upper edge thereof and having its opposite end free. Between the wall of the U-shaped trough and this' false wall are 7 disposed a plurality of springs22-constantly urging this wall of the conduit formedby the inner 12. These springs keep with the bottles passingthrou gh the bottle conduit without regard to the size thereof. so that the neck of a bottle is prevented from passing the base of a bottle in advance thereof. An occurrence'of this sort will cause jamming of the bottles in the conduit, with the result that a tedious'operation is necessary to restore the operation. The springs 22 are preferably formed of nonl corrosive material, for a purpose which will presently appear; I v

Secured to one end of the outer casing 10 is a control device for regulating the depth ofliquid within the lower portionsof the conduits 19 and the refrigerant chamber 14. This device includes asight glass 23, an outlet controlpipe 24: and-an outlet pipe 25, -which may be connected at its lower end to the sewer, The lower ends of the sight glass 23 and outlet control tube 24 are connected by a header 26'which is in turn connected with the bottom of the trough 11 by a conduit 27 The partitions 18 and the bottom trough 12 have perfora permitting cir- The upper tions28 and 29 respectively, culation of fluid therethrough.

23, outlet control pipe the outlet control pipe 24 is further connected with the outlet pipe 25 by a plurality of valved conduits 31, 3'2 at different levels. By opening a selected conduit 31, 32 or 33 or closing all. of these conduits and permitting the water to flow tolthe outlet through the connection 30, a desired levelot fluid may be maintainedin the bottle conduits and in the refrigerant compartment.

If desired, a coil 34 may be arranged in the bottom of the refrigerant compartment 1 1 and provided at the upper end of the refrigerator with a valved outlet, so that false wall toward the opposed this coil may serve for cooling soft drinks in bulk containers. The walls of the easing preferably are constructed to include the necessary cash drawers 35 'and to support a bottle capremover 36 and a receptacle 37 for the removed caps. It will be obvious that with. a device of this charac- 'ter, a bottle will occasionally be broken within a bottle conduit and we according- 1y provide a plunger comprising a flexible shaft 38 having atone end ahead 39 adapted to pass through the conduitand force efore it anything which may be within the conduit and at its opposite end a handle 40, by means of which it may be manipulated. It willv be obvious that this plunger may also .be employed'to clear the conduit of bottles when it is not desired that further bottles be inserted thereinto and to remove from the conduit bottle'labels which are washed from the bottles during their passage through-fluidlcontained in the conduits.

' Since the construction hereinbefore set forth is capable of a certain range of change and modification Without materially departing from the spirit of the invention, we

do not limit ourselves to such specific struc ture except as hereinafter claimed.-

We claim 1. In a bottle refrigerator, a conduit through which the bottles may pass and means for refrigerating said conduit, said wall toward the opposite-wall thereof.

2. In a bottle refrigerator,

ing, inner and outer U-shaped troughs ar-- ranged within the casing, a common Wall for 1 said troughs, a cover for the inner'trough between the end walls whereby said innertrough t-itions subdividing the space between, the

outer and'inner troughs into a plurality' of transversely eXtending'U-shaped bottle channels, the inner face of the outer trough havingattached thereto adjacent one end of each conduit the ends of flexible false walls for the conduits and means yieldably urging said false walls, toward the wall of the inner trough. In testimony whereof we'hereunto afiix our signatures.-

LANDO LOCKER.

OBBIE FRAZIER.

a conduit. through which the bottles may, pass and conduit including aflezrible'false wall'and means yieldably urging said flexible false provides a refrigerant chamber, par- 

